Marketing methods for reoccurring internet based game revenues

ABSTRACT

A method of generating reoccurring revenues through the sale of game tokens for Internet or other network based games. The method provides Internet based game vendors with self advertising software. The free acquisition of the software accelerates the distribution among the consumer base and eliminates software piracy.

BACKGROUND—FIELD OF INVENTION

[0001] This invention relates to Internet based game businessstrategies, specifically reoccurring revenue marketing processes.

BACKGROUND—DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART

[0002] The Internet is widely known as a publicly accessible globalcomputer network. The Internet provides government, business, personal,and educational computer systems a common medium for communications.Business transactions based in part or in whole on the Internet are justbeginning to evolve from their infancy stage. e-business is a relativelynew term that denotes business transactions performed over the Internet.

[0003] Two business models are predominate on the Internet: purchase ofproduct, and purchase of service. A consumer can purchase a product froma web site in a similar fashion as a telephone from a telephonecompany's retail outlet. A consumer can also purchase the services of aweb site in a similar fashion as a telephone service from a telephonecompany.

[0004] Purchasing a software application over the Internet is similar topurchasing the same product in a box at a computer store. The consumerobtains a copy of the software and owns a license to use the software.Software purchased in a box at a store is quite often on a CD ROM.Software purchased over the Internet is quite often downloaded directlyto the consumer's computer.

[0005] Purchasing a software application in a service oriented model isnew. The industry recognizes the reoccurring revenue that this modelproduces as the Holy Grail of e-business. This model is becoming morewidely utilized in Internet based application rentals, and is the basisof Microsoft's. NET initiative.

[0006] Generally, Internet based games are purchased (the user buys alicense for use of the software); there is no financial cost to play thegame. The Internet based games industry has failed to successfullydevelop a useful reoccurring revenue business model. When applying theapplication rental model to games, consumers are turned off with thehuge costs incurred by lengthy and multiple games. And when attemptingto demonstrate the game, the game vendor must retard the features of thegame or severely limit the demo play time to avoid free play byconsumers who are unwilling to pay.

[0007] Internet based games are generally purchased, rather than beingfreely made available. This leads to pirated copies by people wantingsomething for nothing. Pirated copies of a CD ROM are readily done thesedays with the advent of CD-Writers on home PCs. This is a weakness inthe current one time purchase model of software in general.

SUMMARY

[0008] A method to implement a reoccurring revenue business model forInternet based games, based upon the purchase of game tokens, for agenerally otherwise free game.

OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES

[0009] Accordingly, several objects and advantages of my method are:

[0010] (a) to shift revenue generation from one time purchases of gamesoftware licenses to reoccurring purchases of tokens, game pieces thatare used in the play of the game;

[0011] (b) to give game vendors the ability to freely and massivelydistribute their software to the general public, acceleratingdistribution among the consumer base;

[0012] (c) to give game vendors the flexibility to offer nearly endlessdemo play time without retarding game features or play time;

[0013] (d) and, to eliminate software piracy.

[0014] Still further objects and advantages will become apparent from aconsideration of the ensuing description and drawings.

DRAWING FIGURES

[0015] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in andconstitute a part of this specification, illustrate both the prior artand a preferred embodiment of my method and together with the generaldescription given above and the detailed description given below, serveto explain the principles of my method.

[0016]FIG. 1 shows a logic diagram of a client component, a gameservice, a game token, and a communication path between the clientcomponent and game service.

[0017]FIG. 2 shows a logic diagram of a client component, a gameservice, a token service, a free game token, expensive game token, andcommunication paths between the client component, the game service, andthe token service.

[0018]FIG. 3 shows a logical layout of a consumer's client personalcomputer, a game server, a token server, and the network connectionsbetween them.

REFERENCE NUMERALS IN DRAWINGS

[0019]10 Network

[0020]10H Network Connection

[0021]11 Network

[0022]11H Network Connection

[0023]12 Client Component

[0024]12H Client Personal Computer

[0025]13 Game Service

[0026]13H Game Server

[0027]14 Token Service

[0028]14H Token Server

[0029]15 f Free Token

[0030]15 p Expensive Token

Description—FIG. 1—Prior Art

[0031]FIG. 1 is a logical diagram which depicts a common prior artarchitecture for network based games.

[0032] The consumer uses the client component 12 to play a game. Theclient component 12 runs on the consumer's personal computer or othercomputing device. The game is hosted on a server which runs the gameservice 13. Communications between the client component and the gameservice are facilitated over a network 11, such as the Internet.

[0033] The financial costs of hosting a server to run the game service13 is generally bore by consumers to increase profitability by the gamevendors. A game service 13 plays at least one instance of the game.

FIG. 2—Logical Diagram of Software Architecture of Preferred Embodiment

[0034]FIG. 2 is a logical diagram which depicts a generalizedarchitecture for network based games as a preferred embodiment of mymethod.

[0035] The consumer uses the client component 12 to play a game. Theclient component 12 runs on the consumer's personal computer or othercomputing device. The game is hosted on a server which runs the gameservice 13. Communications between the client component and the gameservice are facilitated over a network 11, such as the Internet.

[0036] The financial costs of hosting a server to run the game service13 is generally bore by consumers to increase profitability by the gamevendors. A game service 13 plays at least one instance of the game.

[0037] A token service 14 communicates with the game service 13 over anetwork 10. The token service 14 is used to generate and manage gametokens that consumers purchase for use in playing the game. The freetoken 15 f is generated and managed by the game service 13. Theexpensive token 15 p is generated and managed by the token service 14.The playing of the expensive token 15 p is managed by the game service13. The expensive token 15 p must be coordinated between the gameservice 13 and the token service 14.

FIG. 3—Logical Diagram of Hardware Layout of Preferred Embodiment

[0038]FIG. 3 shows a logical diagram of hardware layout representativeof the preferred embodiment of my method.

[0039] The consumer installs a client component 12 onto a clientpersonal computer 12H. The client component 12 on the client personalcomputer 12H communicates with a game service 13 running on a gameserver 13H over a network connection 11H.

[0040] The game service 13 running on the game server 13H communicateswith a token service 14 running on a token server 14H over a networkconnection 10H.

Advantages

[0041] From the description above, a number of advantages of my methodbecome obvious.

[0042] The prior art is built upon, rather than completely scrapped.Many games available today can be modified to utilize the presentinvention.

[0043] Reoccurring revenue is found in the reoccurring purchases ofexpensive tokens 15 p, facilitated by the token service 14.

[0044] Game software may be freely downloaded and played by a consumer,which will accelerate the distribution into the consumer market base,inherently produce a free and powerful advertisement tool, and eliminatesoftware piracy.

Operation

[0045] In FIG. 1, a consumer installs and runs the client component 12onto their personal computer or other computing device. The consumerand/or client component 12 determine which game service 13 the clientcomponent 12 will connect to by means of a network 11.

[0046] The consumer plays the game with only free tokens 15 f which aregenerated and managed by the game service 13.

[0047] In FIG. 2, a consumer installs and runs the client component 12onto their personal computer or other computing device. The consumerand/or client component 12 determine which game service 13 the clientcomponent 12 will connect to by means of a network 11.

[0048] The consumer plays the game to the extent possible according tothe game's design. Tokens are used to play the game. Tokens may be freeor may require purchasing.

[0049] A consumer plays the game with free tokens 15 f which aregenerated and managed by the game service 13. The consumer may purchasean expensive token 15 p. An expensive token is generated and managed bya token service 14. The playing of the expensive token 15 p is managedby the game service 13. The token service 14 communicates with the gameservice 13 by means of a network 10.

[0050] An expensive token may also be given freely to a consumer by thegame vendor as a marketing strategy, such as a promotional offer.

[0051] Consumers may purchase any expensive token 15 p they desire,according to the design of the game. The game software or supportingsoftware provide the means to communicate to the consumer the pricesfor, and availability of, various expensive tokens 15 p. The clientcomponent 12 offers the consumer a mechanism to purchase expensivetokens 15 p from the token service 14 by way of the game service 13.

[0052] The game service 13 maintains awareness of tokens under itscontrol.

[0053] In FIG. 3, a consumer installs and runs the client component 12onto their client personal computer 12H. The client component 12 runningon the client personal computer 12H communicates with the game service13 running on the game server 13H over a network connection 11H.

[0054] The token service 14 running on the token server 14H communicateswith the game service 13 running on the game server 13H over a networkconnection 10H.

[0055] Generation of expensive tokens 15 p is performed on the tokenserver 14H, but the playing of the expensive token 15 p is performed onthe game server 13H.

[0056] The consumer interacts with both the game service 13 and thetoken service 14 by means of the client component 12.

CONCLUSION, RAMIFICATIONS, AND SCOPE

[0057] Accordingly, the reader will see that my method will:

[0058] (a) increase the usefulness of the Internet for commercial gain;

[0059] (b) help e-business evolve and mature by introducing a newmarketing model;

[0060] (c) provide some prior art Internet based games with a forwardand cost effective evolutionary path;

[0061] (d) provide game vendors with a powerful advertising tool in thegame software itself,

[0062] (e) accelerate the distribution of the software among theconsumer base;

[0063] (f) eliminate software piracy;

[0064] (g) and increase the profits of the game vendors throughutilizing the more desirable reoccurring revenue model.

[0065] A game vendor may choose to use expensive tokens as the exclusivesource of revenue, or as one of several sources of revenue.

[0066] A game vendor may choose to limit the feature or play time of agame due to purchase patterns of a consumer, such as how much money theconsumer spends on purchasing expensive tokens 15 p, or which types ofexpensive tokens 15 p are purchased by the consumer.

[0067] A game may be designed to limit the life of expensive tokens 15 pto the instance of the game the expensive tokens 15 p were purchased. Orthe token service 14 may give persistence to expensive tokens 15 p sothe expensive tokens 15 p remain associated with, or possessed by, aconsumer after the conclusion of one game for use in a later instance ofthe game.

[0068] An expensive token 15 p may be designed to be consumed after aspecific length of game play (even if the length of game play spansseveral games), a specific number of games, or a specific number ofuses.

[0069] A game's design may allow for combining some services onto asingle server.

[0070] A game's design or deployment may include farms of servers thatappear as a single server.

[0071] A game's deployment may include dusters of servers.

[0072] An expensive token 15 p may be managed in other ways, such aspartially by the client component 12 and partially by a token service14.

[0073] A free token may be managed in other ways, such as partially bythe game service 13 and partially by the client component 12.

I claim:
 1. A method of producing reoccurring revenue by means of agame, comprising (a) providing a consumer acquires said game in the formof computer software, (b) providing tokens are used in the play of saidgame to realize functionality and features, (c) offering at least oneexpensive token to said consumer by selling the token, (d) offering anynumber of free tokens to said consumer by allowing the acquisition ofsaid tokens at no financial cost to said consumer, (e) offering multipleplayer game competition against other consumers to said consumer,whereby the revenue is generated at least in part upon the sales of atleast one said expensive token to at least one said consumer.
 2. Themethod in claim 1 wherein said expensive token purchased by saidconsumer is persistent and associated with said consumer, (a) offeringsaid consumer the choice of at least one instance of said game in whichto play said token, whereby said token is potentially available for usein later instances of said game.
 3. The method in claim 1 wherein saidgame is licensed and acquired at some financial cost to said consumer,whereby the revenue is based partly on said sale of at least one saidexpensive token and partly on the licensing and acquisition of said gamesoftware.
 4. The method in claim 1 wherein said game is licensed to, andacquired by, said consumer at no financial cost, (a) providing said gameis playable by said consumer at no financial cost, save special gamefunctionality and features provided to said consumer by the use of saidexpensive tokens in the course of playing said game, whereby said gameprovides advertisement and luring temptation to said consumer by meansof offering said consumer almost unlimited, free, and negligiblyretarded game play.
 5. The method in claim 1 wherein a game service ishosted exclusively by a game vendor.
 6. The method in claim 1 wherein agame service is hosted by anyone, including both game vendors andconsumers.
 7. The method in claim 1 wherein a token service and a gameservice are combined onto one server, whereby the use of the servers'hardware can be optimized for cost, use, or performance.
 8. The methodin claim 1 wherein a token service and/or a game service is split amongmany servers, whereby the use of the servers' hardware can be optimizedfor cost, use, or performance.